In medical fluid cycling systems, such as consoles, it is important to know whether a leak has occurred. In the case where fluid is cycling into a catheter in a patient, it is particularly important to know such information so that a patient is not harmed by the introduction of such fluid.
Various ways of accomplishing leak detection have been tried, including the use of ultrasound, optical techniques, mechanical techniques, etc. These all suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, mechanical techniques rely on mechanical switches which are prone to failure. Optical techniques are only useful if the reservoir whose level is to be determined can have an optically-polished window disposed through which to view the level.
There is a need for a more reliable indicator of fluid level.